


Although I Was Burning, You’re the Only Light

by SesameSeed



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Umbrakinesis, Witchcraft, Witches, beekeeper jihoon, but that’s just cuz i love it, cuz i also love bees, yes I’m back with more umbrakinesis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22208293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SesameSeed/pseuds/SesameSeed
Summary: “They claim he is beautiful, but cold, unwelcoming, and quite privy to playing nasty tricks on anyone who comes near his space.”
Relationships: Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 11
Kudos: 65





	Although I Was Burning, You’re the Only Light

**Author's Note:**

> I love bees and the idea of beekeeper Jihoon and I also really love umbrakinetic Jeonghan (if you couldn’t already tell) so please enjoy the result of all that!
> 
> (Oh! And the title is from ‘Only If For A Night’ by Florence + the Machine!)

Being a beekeeper was often mundane work, but Jihoon loved it more than anything.

He loved living away from the village, where it was quieter and more peaceful. He loved being able to plant whatever flowers he liked without having to worry about encroaching on a neighbour’s space. But most of all, he loved the bees that visited him, that trusted him enough to build their hives in his garden. He’d made especially good friends with one of them – a bumblebee who visited his garden every single day. He named her Alcea, and she followed him around everywhere, keeping him company and giving him someone to talk to when he needed to.

It wasn’t the life for everyone, but it was just the one for him.

Meeting the people who wanted to buy the honey he gathered, however, was more often than not a less than pleasant experience. Truth be told, he didn’t like most of the villagers. He found them too greedy, too unkind for him to feel comfortable.

But he supposed luck was on his side today. He was delivering a few jars of honey to an elderly couple – Alcea safely tucked away in his jacket pocket – and he had barely managed to introduce himself before he was pulled into their home, showered in gratitude, and offered some tea.

Yes, luck was definitely on his side.

“Say, my boy,” started the old man, “Where do you live? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here.”

“Oh, I don’t live in the village, sir,” replied Jihoon, a polite smile on his lips. “I live a little bit farther out, near the forests.”

“A wise decision,” agreed the old woman. “I don’t believe it would be an easy feat to tend to bee hives in such a busy village as this.”

“I’d be cautious if I were you,” said the man. “It’s quite dangerous to live so close to the woods alone, my boy.”

Jihoon’s brows knitted together as he chocked his head to the side. He’d been living on the outskirts of the forest for years, and not so much as a fox had bothered him.

“Why is that?” He asked.

“Many folk claim to have quite… unpleasant, let’s say, run-ins with a witch who resides in the woods. They claim he is beautiful, but cold, unwelcoming, and quite privy to playing nasty tricks on anyone who comes near his space. Now, if that were all, we’d classify him as relatively harmless, but this particular witch has mastered the ancient art of shadow manipulation – umbrakinesis, they call it. This makes him one of the last remaining umbrakinetics, and a particularly powerful one at that. Anyone who goes too far into those woods is entirely at his mercy.”

Jihoon simply stared at the old man, but it seemed like his eyes were looking straight through him. His mind was somewhere else entirely, far away from the elderly couple’s cosy home. A part of him was scared – he’d be foolish not to be after such a tale – but he couldn’t help feel curious. Magick was taboo in the kingdom, especially shadow manipulation, but it had always fascinated him. He thought he had managed to bury that curiosity deep down inside him, but at the mention of a witch living so close to his home, it came bubbling up through him like lava out of a volcano.

But Jihoon wasn’t stupid. No matter how loud his curiosity became, the punishment for for meddling in something he _knew_ he shouldn’t wasn’t worth the knowledge he’d gain. And to him, it never would.

So he swallowed the lava down. And though it burned his throat and sat hot and thick in his stomach, he kept it down.

“I see…” was all he said in response, moving his gaze down to the ground between his feet.

“Now that’s enough of you, old man,” scolded the old woman, her tone stern and hard as she swatted at her husband’s arm. “You’ll scare the poor boy half to death with your ridiculous stories. My boy, what my husband has failed to tell you is that all these claims come from the village’s greatest liars and cheats. If there’s a pinch of truth to their words at all, I believe the witch deserves benefit of the doubt. He was likely acting appropriately considering those men have never possessed an ounce of respect. I’m quite sure that if someone like you were to cross paths with the witch, my boy, he wouldn’t harm a hair on your head.”

“That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be careful, my dear,” retorted the old man. “You can never be too cautious these days.”

Jihoon smiled at the couple’s bickering for a moment, letting his heart grow warm in his chest, before standing up and bowing politely.

“Thank you very much for your hospitality,” he started, “But I really should be taking my leave now.”

Of course, of course,” said the old woman, walking Jihoon to the door with a soft hand on his shoulder. “We should be thanking _you_ for your service. Do take care of yourself my boy, and I do hope we should meet again soon.”

Jihoon sucked in a deep, long breath as the door shut behind him. Alcea buzzed around in his pocket before emerging, hovering in front of his face. Smiling at the bumblebee, Jihoon sighed – a sigh that only just reflected the lava sitting in the pits of his stomach, longing to be set free.

“Well…” he started, “That was interesting, wasn’t it? But let’s go home, alright Alcea?”

Where Alcea was right in front of him moment, she disappeared the next. In a split second, she flew off across the village, almost too fast for Jihoon to comprehend what had happened.

“Alcea!” He yelled, his legs springing to action before he even realized he was running after her.

He thanked any and every power above him that it wasn’t a market day and that the village’s streets weren’t as crowded as they usually were. And he supposed that was a good thing for the villagers as well. His eyes didn’t see the homes and faces zooming past him, they were trained on Alcea and Alcea alone.

Before he knew it, Jihoon was barging through a door, and that was when his mind finally caught up with his body. He didn’t know where he was, nor how long he had been running for, but he didn’t take the time to take in his surroundings.

“Alcea!” He whisper shouted, looking all around for his bumblebee friend. “Alcea where are you?”

“Most people ask permission before entering another’s home, you know.”

Jihoon’s heart leaped up to his throat at the sudden voice behind him. He spun around to find a raven haired man leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest and his glare slicing through Jihoon as easily as a kitchen knife slices vegetables. Despite the fear running through each one of his veins, making him feel so small and insignificant, he couldn’t help but be captivated by the man before him.

If this truly was the witch he’d heard of mere minutes ago, then he could easily attest to one of the claims about him.

He was the most beautiful person Jihoon had ever seen.

“Well?” Said the raven-haired stranger, the witch, “Do I get to know _why_ you decided to barge into my home?”

“I-” started Jihoon, swallowing the fear that had been steadily forming a block in his throat. “I’m sorry, sir. One of my bees took off in this direction and I was so focused on catching her I didn’t stop to check where I was going.”

The witch only scoffed at him, his dark eyes narrowing further.

“You mean the bee hiding behind your ear right now?”

Jihoon brought his hand behind his ear, and sure enough, he felt Alcea’s fuzzy body between his fingers. He sighed as he brought his hand away, Alcea making herself comfortable in his palm.

“Alcea…” he whispered, feeling his face burn bright red.

“You named her Alcea?” Asked the witch, an amused lilt to his tone. “After Hollyhocks?”

When Jihoon tore his gaze away from Alcea to answer him, he had to bite his tongue to stifle the yelp of surprise that threatened to burst out of him. The witch was standing a mere few feet away from him, staring him down with an almost entertained smile on his face.

“Yes,” answered Jihoon, his voice small no matter how hard he tried to control it. “Among all the flowers I grow, they’re her favourites.”

“If I’m not mistaken, she’s a bumblebee, correct?”

“She is. I believe she’s the only one who visits my garden, as I’ve never noticed a bumblebee nest before.”

“How interesting…” mused the witch, staring at Alcea through Jihoon’s fingers. “So I take it you’re not very well-versed in bumblebees’ behaviour.”

“I… I suppose not…”

“Bumblebees die off in the winter, culver,” explained the witch, the teasing term of endearment making Jihoon’s face burn an ever darker red. “All of them, save the queens, who hibernate until spring. So do tell me, how is it that your little Alcea lives in the midst of this bitter cold?”

“I don’t…” whispered Jihoon, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. “I don’t know.”

“I’m not surprised you don’t. Would you mind me taking a look at her?”

Jihoon couldn’t help but feel hesitant. Almost involuntarily, he held Alcea closer to his chest. She was his closest friend, and had stuck by his side for almost as long as he had been a beekeeper. To trust a complete stranger with her – someone who he’d been told was dangerous no less – it was a big ask.

“I won’t hurt her, you have my word,” said the witch, his tone softening, if only for a second. “Something about her intrigues me, that’s all.”

Despite the apprehension that seemed to envelop his body like a cocoon, Jihoon took his hands away from Alcea, albeit hesitantly. He watched nervously as the witch beckoned her towards him.

With every passing second he spent observing her, the wider the witch’s smile seemed to grow.

“This is no bumblebee,” whispered the witch after several minutes had passed.

“What do you mean?” Asked Jihoon, his eyes wide and form tense.

“Oh, little culver,” sighed the witch, giving Alcea a small, gentle nudge back towards Jihoon. “Alcea is no bumblebee, she merely takes on the form of one. A faerie has taken a liking to you, and in most cases, that is a very dangerous thing. But you appear to be special; you’d have to be for a faerie to willingly lock themselves in a physical form for you.”

Jihoon stared down at Alcea, who was nuzzling against his palm.

A faerie… He supposed it made sense. She always seemed unusual for a bumblebee, always seemed just that little bit more aware and, well, human-like than normal. But no matter how long Jihoon pondered her strange behaviour, he would have never concluded that she was a faerie.

Until this moment, he never knew faeries truly existed.

When Alcea flew back into his jacket pocket, Jihoon sighed. He supposed there was no use overthinking it – faerie or not, she was still the same Alcea he’d known for so long. And all he could do was hope that wouldn’t change anytime soon.

“I…” he started, staring down at the floor in an attempt to ignore the way the witch’s eyes were staring through him. “I’ll be leaving now. I’m very sorry for barging in.”

“Now just a minute,” started the witch, crossing his arms over his chest and sending a stake of icy fear through Jihoon’s body. “How can I know you won’t run off to all the villagers yelling your lungs out about the evil witch in the woods who should be burned at the stake?”

Jihoon looked up, eyes wide. He wasn’t surprised at the accusation, at the distrust. Considering the history between humans and witches, it was a perfectly reasonable assumption to make.

But Jihoon couldn’t help feeling nervous. After all, how was he to convince the witch that he wouldn’t speak a word of their encounter?

“I- I won’t,” he stammered, internally wincing at how weak and pathetic the promise sounded. “You can trust me.”

The witch scoffed, a callous smirk on his lips.

“You should know I don’t trust that easily,” replied the witch, but before Jihoon could react, he sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides. He moved aside, leaving the door free for Jihoon to walk through. “However… the fae seem to trust you. So I suppose I should too.”

Jihoon barely heard the words that made their way to his ears before the witch’s door shut behind him, and even when he did, he ignored them. He ignored the way they seemed to steal the breath from his lungs, the colour from his face.

“I hope we meet again, little culver.”

☽

It took two full days of mustering up the courage until Jihoon decided to visit the village again, but this time for an entirely different purpose. From twilight to starlight, he had his face buried in more books than he could count. Slowly, the library shelves and desks melted away around him. His mind swam with visions of powerful spells, potent potions, ancient spirits, everything about magick he could get his hands on.

It was like the books themselves had managed to put him under some sort of spell. It was like he was in a trance; pulled into a world from which he was strictly forbidden.

And it was all so beautiful. Overwhelming, and perhaps a little frightening, but absolutely beautiful.

But all too soon, he was shocked back to reality when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He couldn’t help but let out a gasp, a million excuses running through his mind as he spun around in his seat. But when the face standing over him came into full view, the panic bubbling in his chest subsided.

He hadn’t been expecting to see _anyone_ in the library at this hour, so his surprise was immeasurable when he saw the witch, clad in a dark red cloak, smirking down at him.

“Hello there, culver,” said the witch, his voice soft as he sat beside Jihoon.

“Hello…” whispered Jihoon, glancing around. “Are you sure it’s alright for you to be here?”

“No, but something tells me you’re not meant to be here either.”

“What if someone sees you?”

“I’ve been doing this long enough that I practically know this library by heart. And besides, I’m an umbrakinetic, remember? Should I need to, I can easily hide in the shadows.”

Jihoon only nodded, his gaze returning to the pages of the book open before him. But it became far more difficult to focus on the words with an _actual_ witch peering over his shoulder.

“You’re reading about magick?”

Jihoon’s cheeks burned brightly, much to his dismay. He could _hear_ the teasing expression that was no doubt plastered all over the witch’s face.

“My curiosity got the better of me,” he replied under his breath, refusing to lift his gaze.

“Mmm,” hummed the witch, scanning through the page Jihoon had opened to. “I suppose these books are a decent place to start.”

It was then that Jihoon looked back over to the witch, his brows knitted together in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Who do you think wrote these books, culver?” Asked the witch, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand.

“Not witches… I suppose,” replied Jihoon, feeling foolish.

“Exactly. As I said, they’re not a bad place to start, but they won’t give you anything close to an accurate picture of what magick _truly_ is.”

“O-Oh,” breathed Jihoon, sitting back in his chair.

All at once, the books seemed less wondrous to him. He should’ve known they wouldn’t be accurate, that they’d do everything in their power to paint magick in the least flattering light. Try as he might, he couldn’t hide the disappointment from his face.

“Culver?” Asked the witch, and Jihoon was taken aback but how much softer he sounded, by how much softer he looked.

“Yes?”

“Would you mind telling me your name?”

“Jihoon,” he whispered, trying to ignore the knots his heart was forming in his chest as the witch smiled widely at him.

“I’m Jeonghan,” introduced the witch. “I figured we’d better get properly acquainted before I present you this offer.”

“An offer?” Asked Jihoon, his eyes widening.

“Why are you so set on learning about magick, Jihoon?”

“I’m just curious. I can’t stop thinking about anything else,” replied Jihoon, his brows furrowing together just a little bit.

“Yes, but _why_?”

Jihoon stared down at the wood of the desk he and Jeonghan sat at. It was hard to remind himself that he was sitting next to the only person he didn’t have to constantly make up excuses to.

“I want to know the truth,” he found himself saying. “I can’t believe something that can be so beautiful is evil. It doesn’t feel right to accept that.”

“Jihoon…” started Jeonghan, removing his cheek from his hand and leaning forward slightly in his chair. “What you’re doing could bring you great harm, you’re aware of that, are you not? If you continue to do this and people start hearing, which they will, you will have to cut ties with everyone else you know. No one will buy your honey anymore. I have to know you can afford to do that, because it is not an easy thing. Your curiosity is a refreshing change, but it’s not worth your life. Do you understand me?”

Jihoon gulped. He supposed he should have felt apprehensive, but he didn’t. The thought of turning back on the world he was about to discover didn’t so much as cross his mind.

For the first time in his life, he was completely and utterly sure of what he wanted to do.

“I understand,” nodded Jihoon.

“Are you _sure_ about this Jihoon?”

“I’m sure, Jeonghan. I’m sure.”

“Alright then. I won’t try to stop you so as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into. And while I don’t particularly like people coming around my end of the woods, I suppose I would be a better source of answer for any questions you may have than these old things.”

Jihoon stared at Jeonghan as though the breath had been knocked out from his lungs, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Though a part of him desperately wanted it, he never expected Jeonghan to _actually_ offer to help him with his studies on magick.

“Wait, you’re being serious?” Asked Jihoon, staring at the witch with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“Yes, I am. I think…” started Jeonghan, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the ceiling. “I think there’s a reason the fae have taken a liking to you. I think there’s a reason Alcea brought you to me. And while I may never figure out what that reason really is, I think teaching you what I can is a good place to start.”

“I don’t understand…” muttered Jihoon, staring down at the open book.

“What?” Asked Jeonghan, glancing over at Jihoon.

“Why would the fae choose me? It doesn’t make sense.”

He looked up with both eyebrows raised when Jeonghan the laughed beside him, the sound so utterly unique to him Jihoon couldn’t imagine it coming out of anyone else’s mouth. The witch turned around to face Jihoon, his elbow perched on the back of his chair.

“Jihoon no one understands why the fae do _anything_. You’ll give yourself a migraine if you try to figure that out. All you can do is take it as it is.”

Closing his eyes for a moment, Jihoon let a breathy laugh escape past his lips. Jeonghan’s words did little to quell the question that was searing itself into his brain, but he couldn’t deny that they brought him some comfort, no matter how small.

“I suppose you’re right…” he mumbled, sighing deeply.

Without another word, Jeonghan stood up, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head.

“You know where to find me should you need to,” he said, his lips curling up into a small smile. “Go home now, culver. It’s far too late for you to still be here.”

And just like that, Jeonghan left. Jihoon wanted to sit there for hours more. He wanted to lose himself between the pages of the books again, but after all Jeonghan had told him, they really seemed to have lost their magic. It wasn’t too strange, Jihoon supposed. In the space of only a few days, not only had he met a real witch, he’d received an offer to be taught about magick by someone who knew it better than those books ever could.

So, smiling inwardly, he scooped all the books into his arms, and returned them to their proper places on the shelves.

_‘I’ve gone mad,_ ’ thought Jihoon.

Just a couple of days ago, he’d promised himself he wouldn’t meddle in that which he shouldn’t. He’d swallowed his curiosity down even though it burned his throat and seared his stomach.

Yet now, here he was.

And somehow, though he was painfully aware of the consequences, he didn’t feel scared at all.

☽

Over the course of a single week, Jihoon had visited the village library more times than he cared to try and count, each time under the protection of the night. Perhaps a part of him hoped he would, but he never saw Jeonghan there again. In that week, Jihoon read every book about magick he could get his hands on cover to cover, some of them twice.

He thought reading them would be enough to satiate his curiosity.

He thought wrong.

If anything, reading the books brought even new questions to his mind, where they itched right behind Jihoon’s forehead. He read, and read, and read, and yet he never found answers to some of his questions.

And when the itching got almost too much for him, that was when Jihoon paid Jeonghan a visit. As he knocked on the solid, heavy wooden door, he couldn’t help but wince. The last time he was here, he just barged in. His entire face burned a bright red at the memory.

The door opened, just a crack at first, and Jihoon was met with Jeonghan looking down at him, a scowl on his face. But when the two met gazes, Jeonghan’s face smoothed out into a small smile, and he opened the door a little wider.

“Good morning Jihoon,” he said, the tension in his body dissipating.

“Hello,” smiled Jihoon, feeling how Alcea buzzed around erratically in his pocket before settling down again.

“I must say, I’m surprised you’re back here so soon.”

“I know but… I have so many questions and you’re the only one who can answer them. If you want to… that is.”

Jeonghan chuckled, his eyes crinkling as the corners of his mouth lifted further with his smile.

“I thought so. Come right in, little culver.”

The first time Jihoon had been inside the little cottage, he didn’t remember _actually_ seeing any of it. He remembered Jeonghan, he remembered following Alcea through the door, but nothing else. Perhaps contrary to what he was expecting, the cottage was rather warm, rather welcoming; so unlike what it seemed from the outside, and even more unlike the reputation Jeonghan had built himself in the villager’s minds. Plants grew everywhere: neat pots by the windowsills, ivy crawling up a wall, and slotted neatly between shelves full of books. On one particular windowsill, Jihoon’s attention was brought towards the row of small jars of water, each with its own, neat label.

Storm water, sun water, moon water – all the things Jihoon had read about were right there in front of him.

It was exhilarating.

As though she wanted to see what had him so captivated, Alcea buzzed her way out of Jihoon’s pocket, rushing towards the nearest flowering plant.

“I think she likes it here,” laughed Jihoon, looking over to find Jeonghan sitting on the warm brown bench that was placed in front of a long, weathered desk.

“I should hope so. It would bring me great assurance to know a faerie has blessed this space,” replied Jeonghan before patting the space beside him. “You can sit down Jihoon.”

It was when Jihoon took his place beside Jeonghan that he felt awkward. His mouth grew dry, and he couldn’t lift his eyes from the ground no matter how hard he tried.

“Your home is really nice,” mumbled Jihoon.

“Thank you. It used to be a blacksmith’s workshop, you know.”

“Really?” Asked Jihoon, _finally_ capable of lifting his eyes up to focus on Jeonghan’s face.

“I think so. It was already abandoned when I found it, but there was enough there for me to come to that conclusion. But enough about that. You said you had questions.”

“Yes…” started Jihoon, taking a deep breath as he tried to bring to mind the organized list he had mentally organized. “What is umbrakinesis, exactly?”

Jeonghan cocked an eyebrow, stifling a snicker.

“Jihoon, even the most foolish of the villagers knows _what_ umbrakinesis is.”

“I know it means shadow manipulation, but what _is_ that? I don’t understand how you could possibly manipulate something like a shadow.”

“Everything around us has energy Jihoon,” explained Jeonghan, and immediately, Jihoon held onto every single word. “Even the air, which we cannot see, holds an energy unique to it and it alone. Umbrakinesis is learning how to sense the energy specific to shadows, how to use, and how to shape it. I’m afraid I can’t give you a better explanation than that. Magic is often more of a practice – more of a feeling – than something you simply learn from a theoretical perspective.”

“You can shape energy?” Asked Jihoon, voice soft and full of awe.

“Well, yes. You can never create energy out of nothing, nor can you destroy energy, but you can shape it. When you call a shadow to you, it’s not something with a fixed shape. It’s more like clay. You can shape it into anything you want, from a sturdy rope to a sharp blade.”

“But I don’t understand. How can you shape a shadow? It’s like trying to shape smoke.”

“Intent, Jihoon, magick is all about intent. The hard part is summoning the shadow to you in the first place. But once you’re capable of that, all you need is a clear intent, and the shadow will do your bidding.”

“So,” started Jihoon, his brows furrowed in concentration. “Everything that exists has energy?”

“Exactly,” replied Jeonghan, nodding his head.

“Does that mean, in order to practice magick, the energy between the human and natural force has to be compatible?”

Jeonghan frowned, cocking his head to one side.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, not everyone seems capable of practicing magick. It only runs in certain families, from what I remember.”

“Who ever said not everyone is capable of practicing magic?” Asked Jeonghan, his voice taking on a darker tone.

“The books… They –”

“I told you already Jihoon,” interrupted Jeonghan. “If it’s accuracy you’re after, those books are the last place you’ll find it. They make it seem like witches are one species while humans are another all together. That’s a lie.”

“So everyone can practice magick? Asked Jihoon, his eyes widening.

“Everyone who wishes to learn, yes. But the question is, culver, _should_ everyone practice magic?”

Jihoon’s lungs stopped working, if only for a moment. The question seemed to knock all the air out of his lungs.

It was such a simple question. But in its simplicity lay a terrifying prospect.

“What do you mean?” Whispered Jihoon.

“Magick is a beautiful gift of nature Jihoon. And just like fire, just like wood, just like metal, we humans have a strange ability to take anything around us and turn it from a tool to a weapon. Can you imagine if the same people who start wars, who kill hundreds to serve their own greed, could practice magick? If they could practice umbrakinesis alone, if they had the ability to make any weapon they wanted, can you imagine what that would be like? The world would be overrun with hate, culver. So no, not everyone should practice magick Jihoon.”

Jihoon clenched his jaw. He tore his gaze away down towards the ground, as though he were afraid Jeonghan would see the anger that was bubbling in his chest.

“If they want to wield magick so badly, why do they hate witches so much? Why do they drive them all away?”

“Well, for one, witches possess something they don’t, something they don’t even understand. And when people don’t understand something, more often than not their reaction is fear. They drove us out because they see us as a risk to the structure they’ve built. If they can’t practice magick, the no one can. That’s what they think. It’s easier for them to drive us away, to make us the enemy, than it is for them to change their ways.”

Biting at his lip, Jihoon curled his hands into fists in his lap. He couldn’t help but feel mad. All over the kingdom, there were people who had done nothing but practice an art that had been around for centuries. And they were being punished – sometimes burned alive – for taking the time to learn something that others wanted, but would never put in the effort to get.

“It isn’t right,” he muttered through grit teeth.

“No, it isn’t,” agreed Jeonghan, his voice level and calm, much to Jihoon’s confusion. “But I’ve long given up trying to show them different. It’s a waste of time. People cannot learn unless _they_ want to. I take comfort in knowing that their ‘system’ is fragile – things built on greed often are. And anyway, there _are_ good people out there. Just like you, culver.”

A small smile crossed Jihoon’s face, but just as quickly as the warmth in his chest blossomed, it shrivelled up. There was something he had read, something that had scared him to his core so badly he had planned on forgetting it altogether. And yet, here it was, crawling to the forefront of him mind until it was tumbling out of his mouth.

“I read something about these spirits,” he started, his voice cautious. “Evil ones who want to see all the good in the world snuffed out until this Earth is a cold and dark place. Do you think those people might try and reach out to them? Because they have a common interest?”

Although not a single muscle twitched, Jeonghan’s face darkened all at once. He stared at Jihoon with an expression so intense, so serious, that it seemed to suck the warmth from the room. Even Alcea felt the difference, popping up from the flower she had made herself comfortable in and hiding behind Jihoon’s ear.

“Jeonghan?” Asked Jihoon, trying to keep the fear he felt from seeping into his voice.

“Jihoon…” started Jeonghan, his expression _finally_ relaxing. “Those spirits are dangerous. Malice and greed attracts them, and like you said, they wish to see the world coated in it. But they don’t answer to the calls of people who think they can harness them for their own means. They hear those calls, those offerings, but they don’t respond. What they do instead is kill and hurt good, innocent people. Especially witches.”

“Why witches?” Jihoon asked, eyes wide.

“Because we have power Jihoon. The more we learn the more powerful we become. But most of us retrain that power. There are selfish witches who horribly misuse the power they possess, but most only use their power when they need to.”

“Why does everyone make witches out to be evil, cold beings then? If they’re the targets of these evil forces, surely anyone who learns of them would logically conclude that witches aren’t as the kingdom make them out to be.”

“That’s why the kingdom is trying so hard to stop people learning about witches apart from what _they_ want people to know about us. We’re a threat to them, so they turn us into the enemy.”

“Is that why you live all the way out here? Did the villagers drive you out?”

Jeonghan’s face fell, a flash of sadness crossing his features. His eyes focused down at his lap, his lip between his teeth. He’d never seen Jeonghan look so hurt, so vulnerable.

“I’m sorry…” said Jihoon, shaking his head. “You don’t have to answer that.”

“No, it’s fine,” started Jeonghan, his eyes crinkling up with the small smile he gave. “I didn’t always live so close to this village before. My home _used_ to be the one just across the river. But when they found out I was a witch, the villagers wanted to burn me alive. Running out here was the only way I could escape. They know where I am, I know they do, but I suppose they don’t think of me as a threat anymore.”

“They thought you’d hurt them?” Breathed Jihoon.

“I don’t think so. They knew me well. I think they were just scared of what would happen to them if the kingdom found out they were harbouring a witch.”

“Oh… I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be Jihoon,” smiled Jeonghan. “It’s not your fault. No point getting caught up in things that have already passed.”

“Well… I don’t think you’re cold,” Jihoon found himself mumbling.

“Excuse me?”

“It probably helps if people think you are, but I don’t think you’re cold. I suppose… I suppose you’re just cautious. And maybe that cautiousness comes across as callousness sometimes. I don’t think that necessarily makes you cold though.”

All Jeonghan did in response was hum, looking at Jihoon with a look so warm the beekeeper was surprised he hadn’t melted under his gaze. Much to his embarrassment, he couldn’t stop the flushing of his cheeks, nor the constricting of his chest, not even the way his heart seemed to hammer just a few beats too fast behind his ribs.

No one had looked at him with such warmth before. It was an overwhelming experience, and Jihoon was still trying to figure out if that was a good or bad thing.

“Any more questions, little culver?” Asked Jeonghan, propping his head up by the temples with his fist, his elbow on the desk.

“Oh,” started Jihoon, the question having pulled him out from his own thoughts. “Just one…”

“Well?”

“I-I’m curious. What do shadows feel like when you hold them?”

After all they had discussed, Jihoon couldn’t help but feel silly at the childish question. But his embarrassment subsided, if only slightly, when he saw Jeonghan’s smile widen.

“Would you like to feel one for yourself?” Offered Jeonghan.

“Could I?”

“Of course.”

With the slightest flick of a finger, Jeonghan summoned a shadow to his palm, morphing it into a ball. Jihoon’s eyes widened with wonder – it looked almost, but not exactly, like a black ball of fire. He had never seen anything like it. His fingers hovered over the inky mass, but never made contact with it.

“You can touch it Jihoon,” said Jeonghan, voice soft. “It won’t hurt.”

When Jihoon’s fingertips made contact with the shadow, he gasped. His lips curled up into a small smile as his eyes widened even further.

“I’m the curious one now, culver,” said Jeonghan. “Tell me how it feels.”

“It feels like…” started Jihoon, his voice quiet and somewhat faraway, as though he were in a trance. “Like putting a hand through smoke. But its more concrete than that. I almost feels like I could wrap my hand around it.”

Jeonghan simply hummed, smiling down at Jihoon.

“It almost feels… alive.”

“That’s because you’re feeling energy, culver,” whispered Jeonghan, as though speaking any louder would break the wonder-filled trance Jihoon was in. “What you feel at your fingertips is raw energy at its most vulnerable.”

“It’s beautiful.”

What happened next left Jeonghan staring at Jihoon with his mouth hanging open. As though of its volition, the shadow in his palm curled around Jihoon’s fingers, almost forming a glove around his entire hand. Jihoon looked up, eyes wide and a little fearful, and was almost taken aback by the way Jeonghan was looking at him.

“H-How did it do that?” He asked, a slight tremor to his voice.

“I don’t know,” breathed Jeonghan, his hands hovering around Jihoon’s. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

There was silence for a few moments as Jeonghan studied the cocoon the shadow had made around Jihoon’s hand. Jihoon could only stare at the way the shadows moved, just as captivated as he was scared.

“You haven’t ever tried to perform any spells, have you Jihoon?” Asked Jeonghan.

“No,” replied Jihoon, shaking his head.

“Interesting…” hummed Jeonghan, his brow furrowing. “First, a faerie takes a liking to you, and now this. You’re really something, culver.”

Jihoon’s head spun. He couldn’t keep up with all that was happening around him in the space of a mere few days.

“Does it hurt?” Jeonghan asked, brows furrowing as he looked back towards Jihoon’s face.

“No. It feels like it did before it… did this, only a little tighter.”

And just like that, the shadow uncoiled itself, resuming its place on the wall. It was as though it had never moved at all.

“That’s incredible…” breathed Jeonghan. “One of the first rules of umbrakinesis is _never_ to fight a shadow that shows any resistance to be summoned. It’s near impossible anyway, only extremely powerful umbrakinetics can summon them against their will. But for a shadow to be drawn to you, without you even having to summon it, I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“What does it mean?” Asked Jihoon, his skin tingling and heart pounding.

“I don’t know, culver. I don’t know.”

Jihoon’s muscles tensed in his body as his mind started running faster than he could keep up with. The very last thing he needed was to worry about shadows coiling around him when he didn’t want them to.

“Stop that,” sighed Jeonghan, his eyes soft despite the hardness of his tone.

“Stop what?”

“Looking like you’re _trying_ to make your head hurt. There’s no point overthinking any of this, Jihoon, not when there’s nothing we can do about it. The shadows won’t hurt you, and even if some of them try, I doubt Alcea would let them. You’re under the protection of the fae, and that is the biggest comfort I can provide you.”

Jihoon smiled, letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“I know you’re right,” he started, consciously relaxing his muscles. “This has just been a lot to process, I suppose.”

Jeonghan smiled, letting out a small, breathy laugh before standing up. He gently took Jihoon’s elbow in his hands, pulling the beekeeper up with him.

“I understand that. But trust me: don’t let your thoughts run wild, and it will be alright. Go home, drink something warm, and rest. You’ve done very well today, culver.”

Jihoon’s smile widened until he was grinning. It was strange, he supposed. He’d known this witch, who he’d been absolutely terrified of at first, for just slightly over a week, and yet he’d quickly become someone Jihoon felt safe around. It was a strange feeling, yet not an unwelcome one.

Jeonghan walked over to one of the herb pots, carefully picking something from one of the green shrubs. Jihoon watched him, a curious expression on his face until the witch came back to stand in front of him, studying the sprig he held delicately between his fingers.

“They say if you travel with a sprig of rosemary in your pocket, you’ll be protected from any spirit or any energy that aims to bring you harm,” stated Jeonghan. And without another word, he slipped the sprig into the pocket of Jihoon’s jacket.

“Be safe,” the witch whispered, looking down at Jihoon with an expression the beekeeper could only describe as fondness.

As Jihoon began the trek home, he kept thinking back to the warmth, the safety he felt in Jeonghan’s home. Even Alcea seemed lighter, flying by Jihoon’s shoulder rather than hiding away in his pocket.

No, the feeling wasn’t an unwelcome one at all. In fact, Jihoon would venture to say that it was pleasant.

It was a feeling he wished would always fill his chest, so that it could spread to every inch of his body, warming him even in the bitter, bitter cold.

☽

It had been weeks since Jihoon had visited Jeonghan, and though he desperately wanted to go back, he couldn’t find the time. With every passing day, spring – the season where everyone in the village craved honey the most – was right around the corner. When he didn’t have deliveries to make, he was busy tending to his garden, to his beehives, to _everything_ else that just seemed to keeping piling up.

Jihoon wasn’t unhappy with the work he had. After all, beekeeping was still the thing he loved most in his life. That much hadn’t changed. But something under his skin was itching to visit Jeonghan again, to learn more and more about a world that had been hidden from him for so long.

It seemed, however, that until spring came, he would have to grit his teeth and bear the itching.

Jihoon was walking his typical route to the village, looking around at how the forest around him gradually thinned. It was scenery he knew better than anyone else, yet he never grew bored of it. To him, the forest was home. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he got along with Jeonghan.

Jihoon had a habit of getting lost in his own thoughts. It was a nice way to pass the time when he had nothing else to do. But on this particular day, he was trapped like a fly in a spider’s web.

“Well, well, well,” came a gruff voice from behind him. “Look who we have here.”

He hadn’t been paying attention, and before he knew it, Jihoon was surrounded by three mean-looking men.

“Excuse me,” he said, swallowing his fear and trying to push through the particularly large man standing in front of him. But he was pushed back, barely managing to catch himself before he stumbled over his own two feet.

“You’ve been messing with things you shouldn’t be, boy,” growled the man in front of him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” insisted Jihoon, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes, you do.”

With his heart pounding in his chest, Jihoon scoffed. And though fear was spreading from his heart to every single muscle in his body, he controlled it, glaring at the man in front of him with as much malice as he could muster.

“Whoever you’re looking to bully, it isn’t me,” he spat. “Now let me go do my job.”

Before he could even blink, Jihoon felt the men behind him surge forward, grabbing both his arms and pinning them to his side. He couldn’t shake them off, no matter how hard he struggled.

It was then that the panic started to truly settle in.

“Don’t think we haven’t heard of the innocent beekeeper who’s been having little rendezvous with that spawn of the devil. Do you think we’re stupid?”

Jihoon clenched his jaw, straining against the hands holding him still.

“If you’re so keen on seeing that demon, you can join him in hellfire where you both belong.”

It was like time stopped. Jihoon’s throat closed up, his eyes bulging, as he felt something bury itself in his stomach. He tried to suck in a breath, tried to move his arms to pull _whatever_ was piercing his skin out of him, but nothing happened.

Jihoon didn’t realize he was falling until his shoulder collided with the ground. As though they had vaporized, the men were suddenly nowhere to be seen. But even if they were standing around him laughing, Jihoon wouldn’t have noticed them.

Everything around him started to blend together until it a confusing, blur of colours. His body was somehow too numb, yet alight with excruciating pain.

He couldn’t scream.

He couldn’t cry.

He couldn’t even breathe.

All he could do was watch the darkness lining his vision get closer and closer.

He hoped Alcea was safe. He hoped she would make sure his bees found somewhere else, somewhere safer to live. He hoped the villagers wouldn’t try to hurt Jeonghan next. He hoped he wouldn’t have to move again after all he had already been through.

Because if there was no hope for him, he would hope with all his heart for those who he had come to care for, even as his vision turned pitch black.

☽

Slowly, almost excruciatingly slowly, the darkness Jihoon had been smothered in started to dissipate. Where there had been nothing, absolutely nothing for what felt like lifetimes, he felt something soft around and under him. Where there had been only cold, he started to feel warmth enveloping him.

For a split-second, he didn’t think he’d be able to open his eyelids when he tried. A part of him thought all the sensations were illusions created to torture him even further. So when his eyes actually opened to the sight of parallel wood joists, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath of relief.

He felt a weight down by his legs, and before he could move to see what it was, Jeonghan’s face came into view, concern written over each and every one of his features. That was when he realized he wasn’t in his own home as he had assumed.

He was in Jeonghan’s.

“You’re finally awake,” whispered Jeonghan, giving Jihoon a small, heavy smile. “I was starting to worry, culver.”

“How long have I been asleep?” Asked Jihoon, his voice raw and scratchy. He started to push himself up to a seated position, but almost as soon as he tried, a burning pain erupted up from his stomach. His eyes squeezed shut as he bit his tongue, trying to stop a wince from making it up his throat and out his mouth.

“Relax, Jihoon,” said Jeonghan, gently pushing Jihoon’s shoulders back down. “You’re still healing.”

Jeonghan left Jihoon’s side for a brief moment, coming back with a small clay cup full of water.

“I’m going to lift your head up a little bit so you can drink this,’ he explained, already snaking an arm underneath Jihoon’s neck. “Try to keep your body relaxed, please. You don’t want to make the wound worse.”

Jihoon hadn’t been completely aware of how thirsty he was until the cup was pressed against his dry, cracked lips. He supposed it was a good thing Jeonghan was holding the cup. If he had been in control, he would have gulped all the water down faster than his body could handle. So he closed his eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of the cool, crisp water running down his throat.

“Do you need more?” Asked Jeonghan once every single drop in the glass was gone.

Jihoon shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Jeonghan nodded in response, and bent down to place the cup onto the ground. When he straightened back up, he sighed, pushing his hair back and staring at the ceiling.

“You’ve been asleep for three days, Jihoon,” started Jeonghan, his voice quiet. “A group of villagers stabbed you with a dagger dipped in hemlock. I found you with the blade buried to the hilt in your stomach. I- You’re lucky I hadn’t been a few minutes later.”

Jihoon just blinked at Jeonghan, but slowly, his memories caught up with him. He remembered both his sides being pressed together with vice-like strength, almost rendering him unable to breathe. He remembered feeling like he was in a fishbowl, the sound of his heartbeat muffling everything else around him. He remembered the cold, the fear, the bone crushing loneliness.

And when he remembered truly believing there was no hope for him as he laid there on the cold, hard ground, he truly couldn’t believe his heart was still beating.

“How did you know?” He found himself asking, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jeonghan’s shoulders shook with a small, quiet laugh. He looked down at Jihoon, his eyes crinkled upward with a small smile.

“Alcea came here. She kept head butting me until I followed her. And before you ask, she’s fine. She’s probably napping in one of the flowers right now.”

Jihoon closed his eyes, letting out a small breath. There was so much he was trying to process, so much fighting for his mind’s attention. But among his scrambling thoughts, there was happiness weaved in. He was grateful he was alive, grateful Alcea was safe, grateful Jeonghan had been watching over him for the three days he had been asleep.

So rather than trying to untangle all the thoughts in his head, he focused on that gratefulness, wrapping it around himself like a blanket.

“Your bees miss you,” said Jeonghan, breaking the silence.

Jihoon opened his eyes, his brows knitting together. Jeonghan was looking down at the floor, and Jihoon swore his face had the slightest flush to it.

“What?” He asked.

“When a full day and night had passed without you waking up, I went to check on them. It’s unmistakable, they miss you.”

“You checked on them for me?”

Jeonghan shrugged. There was no doubt about it – the tips of his ears were a bright red.

“I was worried those bastards would burn your house and garden to the ground,” he muttered. “Bees are important to the world around us. It’s important we continue to keep them safe.”

Jihoon smiled so hard he felt as though his cheeks would tear.

“They’re alright?” He asked, the smile making its way into his voice.

“Yes, they’re just fine. While I was there, I cast a protection spell around your home. No one bearing any ill intent will be able to get anywhere near it. You have my word.”

“Thank you Jeonghan,” whispered Jihoon, settling into the now familiar warmth he loved so much.

Jeonghan looked back at Jihoon, a small, almost fond smile on his face. He straightened up, and put a hand on the quilt over Jihoon’s stomach, right over where the faint throbbing was radiating from.

“You _do_ feel alright, don’t you? No lying,” he asked.

“I’m alright. Truly.”

“Do you want to go home?”

Jihoon swore Jeonghan looked the slightest bit worried as the question left his lips.

“Well, yes,” replied Jihoon, chuckling breathily. “I miss my bees too.”

“Please stay here for the night,” implored Jeonghan. “I understand you want to go home but it would be best if you let the wound heal just a little bit more before you go on such a long walk… Please Jihoon?”

Jihoon frowned at Jeonghan. The witch’s teasing, aloof tone was gone. For the first time since he’d met him, he looked scared.

“I’ll stay,” whispered Jihoon.

Jeonghan’s face finally relaxed, his eyes softening and lips curling up into a tender, comfortable smile. He slid his hand up until it was right by the side of Jihoon’s neck, and stood up. Bent over the beekeeper, their faces were so close Jihoon almost couldn’t breathe.

“Let me help you sit up. You need to eat something,” whispered Jeonghan, one hand cradling the back of Jihoon’s head, the other resting on his waist.

He knew he looked foolish staring at Jeonghan the way he was, but Jihoon could only nod his head slightly, trying to keep his mouth from falling open even only a little bit.

Immediately, Jihoon was grateful Jeonghan had stopped him when he tried to push himself up. Even with Jeonghan supporting most of his weight, the pain was almost unbearable. It was like his skin was trying to rip open again, it was like his skin _longed_ for that. All he could do was clamp his lips together and squeeze his eyes shut, trying to trap the tears welling up behind them.

By the time he was fully seated, he was panting. A couple of tears escaped from the corners of his eyes, slowly making their way down the sides of his face.

“I’m sorry,” whispered Jeonghan, squeezing Jihoon’s shoulder. “Did it hurt too much?”

“I’m fine,” gasped Jihoon, shaking his head.

It was a blatant lie, one Jihoon knew Jeonghan could see straight through.

“It’ll feel better tomorrow, I promise. Do you feel you could eat something?”

“Yeah,” breathed Jihoon. The pain was subsiding, no longer occupying the forefront of his mind.

“I’ll get you some food, and when you finish it, I’ll make you some medicine to drink. After that, you can rest as much as you like.”

As he took every bit of food, every sip of the medicinal tea Jeonghan made him, the witch never left his side. They didn’t speak, but the silence wasn’t awkward. It was comfortable, and the only work Jihoon could use to describe it was home. And though he still missed his own house and garden, he had to admit he never felt more at home than when he was in the witch’s cottage.

When Jihoon was halfway through his small bowl of food, Alcea emerged from wherever she had been hiding, landing on Jihoon’s nose. Though her body was too small to tell for sure, she almost seemed to be nuzzling his face. A laugh bubbled up from Jihoon’s chest and burst out his mouth, his eyes almost crossing to focus on the little bumblebee.

“I missed you too Alcea,” he giggled.

He watched Alcea fly over to Jeonghan landing on his nose too. Yes, she was definitely nuzzling their faces, that much to clear. Another laugh burst out of Jihoon at the look of surprise on Jeonghan’s face.

A large grin on his face, Jeonghan brought his finger to his nose, letting Alcea jump on.

“He’s okay,” whispered the witch, his voice so low Jihoon couldn’t make out the words. “Thank you for saving his life.”

Once he had polished off the food and the medicine, Jeonghan helped Jihoon back into a laying position. This movement was far less painful than the previous one, something Jihoon was beyond thankful for. Jeonghan immediately took his place by Jihoon’s side, but this time, rather than sitting by his legs, the witch was sitting up by his torso.

“I didn’t take your bed, did I?” Asked Jihoon, the thought bursting out his mouth as soon as it crossed his mind.

Jeonghan only laughed, his eyes crinkling up into crescent moons.

“Don’t worry about that Jihoon. You need it more than I do.”

“Thank you Jeonghan. I mean it,” said Jihoon, his fingertips loosely wrapping around Jeonghan’s wrist before he knew what he was doing.

“I know you do,” replied Jeonghan, sliding his hand up so he could hold Jihoon’s, squeezing it gently. “When you go home tomorrow, I’ll send some shadows with you. They’ll keep you hidden. And any time you want to come here, send Alcea first. That way I’ll know to send shadows. Alright?”

“Alright,” replied Jihoon, nodding his head.

“Good. We can’t have you hurt again culver.”

With a final squeeze of Jihoon’s hand, Jeonghan got up. He smiled down at Jihoon, the expression on his face completely unreadable as he brought a hand to Jihoon’s forehead, brushing a few strands of hair out of his eyes.

“Rest well, little culver. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” whispered Jihoon, though his breath was caught in his throat.

And despite the way his heart was hammering in his chest, doing flips and jumps like it never did before, Jihoon never slept as well, as warmly, or as peacefully as he did that night.

☽

The day Jihoon could walk without limping, he went back to Jeonghan’s home.

He’d listened to Jeonghan’s orders well. He drank a cup of the infused herbs Jeonghan gave him every morning. He didn’t move more than he needed to, nor did he do any more than his basic chores. He ate well, he got enough rest, and he cleaned the wound more times than he could count.

But for thirteen consecutive days, an idea was brewing in Jihoon’s mind, growing stronger and brighter each day until it consumed his thoughts entirely. After all, he had nothing else to keep himself busy with.

The second the idea blossomed in his mind, Jihoon wanted to go to Jeonghan. But he hesitated. When he left Jeonghan’s home, the quarter of an hour walk turned into an hour and a half. Not only was he limping, but the pain radiating from his stomach made every step torture. He wasn’t prepared to take that trip again.

_(And he was certain if he tried, Jeonghan wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.)_

So, he waited until he felt he was about to burst, and then waited some more.

Jihoon supposed it was a good thing his recovery was almost if not entirely complete. Even if his stomach felt like it was ripping itself apart into tiny ribbons, he doubted he would’ve kept himself from all but running to that little cottage in the woods.

The quarter of an hour walk became just under ten minutes, something that even Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at by the time Jihoon arrived.

“I didn’t expect you to get here _this_ fast, Jihoon,” he said, his lips curling up into an amused smile.

“I was excited,” shrugged Jihoon, letting Jeonghan take his hand and pull him to the bench by the desk. “I’ve been thinking of something and I thought you’d be able to help me.”

“Alright then. What is it?” Asked Jeonghan, sliding his elbow down the desk so he could support his head with his fist.

“Do you remember when that shadow curled around my hand?”

“Yes.”

“Well… I want to learn to how to control that. Like you do.”

Jeonghan simply stared at Jihoon for a few seconds, barely blinking at all. His brows were very slightly knitted together and his eyes were hard, making anxiety pool in Jihoon’s stomach as he waited for an answer.

“Would you mind if I asked you why?” asked Jeonghan, his voice steady and cautious.

“There are many reasons,” started Jihoon in a mumble. “I suppose I think that it’s beautiful. It’s an art form, it’s nothing at all like the picture the kingdom paints of it. I don’t think it’s fair for it to disappear just because people are too afraid and too hateful. And I hope that if others can start to see it the same way I do, witches won’t have to live such isolated lives anymore. We may not be able to change the whole kingdom’s mind, but there _has_ to be other people out there who will see umbrakinesis and magick for what they are and think they’re beautiful.”

With every word Jihoon spoke, a smile starting to bloom on Jeonghan’s face, growing wider and wider with every syllable. The pang of worry that struck him like a knife subsided, leaving behind a warm wave of relief to wash over his entire body.

“I don’t know exactly _how_ we could help others see what magick is really like,” continued Jihoon, starting to trail off. “But there has to be a way and I pro– ”

“Jihoon,” interrupted Jeonghan, biting back a fond laugh. “It’s alright. You don’t have to explain every little detail. Besides, you convinced me the moment you called magick an art.”

“So you’ll teach me?” Asked Jihoon, his eyes widening and shining in anticipation.

“Of course I will. You, of all people, deserve this knowledge.”

With that, Jeonghan got up, looking down at Jihoon with a grin.

“Would you like to get started now, little culver?”

Jihoon’s eyes widened even more, staring at Jeonghan with his lips slightly parted.

“N-Now?”

“If you’d like,” smiled Jeonghan.

Jihoon breathed out a laugh. He couldn’t believe his own eyes and ears. He’d been hoping Jeonghan would agree to teach him, but he’d never expected the witch to start so soon.

“Of course I would,” he breathed, barely able to contain his excitement.

“Good,” said Jeonghan, his grin widening as Alcea hid behind Jihoon’s ear. “Come with me. I know the perfect place for me to teach you.”

Confusion initially took over Jihoon as Jeonghan led him outside the cottage and around the side of it. He stood to the side, the gears of his mind turning, as Jeonghan moulded shadows into steps ejected out of the cottage’s wall.

It was hardly the first time he’d seen Jeonghan manipulate shadows, but he couldn’t help the wondrous expression that brightened his face.

“Climb these steps, Jihoon,” explained Jeonghan, beckoning Jihoon towards him. “When you reach the last one, push on the wall. There’s a hidden entrance there. And don’t worry, the steps will take your weight.”

For no reason other than the tension he was holding in his body, Jihoon stumbled when he climbed the first few steps. Though he grabbed the wall to steady himself, he felt a weight on his back, giving him an extra layer of support. He looked back, and found it was a block of shadows. Beyond it, he saw Jeonghan, his lips curled up into a small, sheepish smile.

“I’ve got you,” he said, his voice soft.

Of all the things Jihoon expected to be hidden behind that secret entrance, an attic space was not one of them. There was barely any light trickling in from the small cracks where the roof didn’t quite meet the wall. It seemed like this was where Jeonghan stored all the blacksmith’s tools he didn’t find a use for. They were piled up around against the walls, casting shadows of all shapes and sizes everywhere around the small space.

Now that he thought of it, the sheer number of shadows was staggering.

“Are you sure I can do this?” Asked Jihoon as he heard the entrance close behind Jeonghan.

“Of course,” replied Jeonghan, startled by the question. “I wouldn’t have agreed to teach you if I didn’t believe you could.”

“It’s just that… There are so many.”

“It won’t be as overwhelming as you might think, Jihoon. On the contrary, being around this many shadows means you’ll be able to feel them more easily. Take a deep breath and believe in yourself, culver.”

Following Jeonghan’s path across the attic, and watching him lean against an old, weathered workbench, Jihoon sucked in a deep breath. And when he let it out, he locked any doubts away in the furthest corner of his mind. Instead, he focused on the wonder and anticipation he’d been brimming with for weeks. He let those feelings flow through his body like lightning, making every nerve in his body tingle pleasantly.

No matter how much he felt like he was faking it, he told himself he could do it.

Jeonghan told him anyone could practice magick. Anyone could practice umbrakinesis.

And no matter how loud the doubts in his head got, it didn’t change the fact that he could do it too.

“Alright,” he started, taking another, slightly shaky breath. “What should I do?”

“Look around,” explained Jeonghan. His voice was clear and firm, yet soft and encouraging. It was almost mesmerizing. “Take in all the shadows around you. Don’t try to memorize their positions or their shapes. Just observe them.”

Jihoon looked around, and for the first time in his life, he appreciated how different shadows were from one another. Some had hard, defined lines, others were softer. Some, like that made by a particular crate of tools, were short and wide; others, like that extending out from Jeonghan’s feet, were long and thin. Some looked so dark you could fall into them, others were almost invisible.

It was fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

“I think I’m ready,” breathed Jihoon, his eyes still scanning the room.

“Now, close your eyes,” guided Jeonghan, nodding at Jihoon when the beekeeper looked back towards him. He continued when his eyes closed. “You know there are shadows around you, you know where they are. Just call out to them.”

It only took a few seconds for Jihoon to gasp, staggering back a few steps with his eyes still closed.

“Jihoon?”

“I feel them,” whispered Jihoon. “I feel them all around me.”

“And?” Asked Jeonghan. “How does it feel?”

“It feels… I feels… like everything in my body is awake, yet completely calm at the same time.”

“Good, good,” grinned Jeonghan, and Jihoon could hear the smile in his voice. “You’re doing well Jihoon. Do you feel ready to summon one to your hand?”

“I can try.”

“Is there a shadow that you can feel more strongly than the others?”

“I…” started Jihoon, his brow creasing in concentration. “I think so.”

“Focus on that one as hard as you can. I can’t tell you exactly how to do this next part, you have to feel it deep within you. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” whispered Jihoon.

“Think back to when I told you that magick is all about intent. Hold your own intent at the forefront of your mind, feel it with your heart, and beckon the shadow towards you. If it wants to, it will –”

Jeonghan stopped, his whole body freezing save his eyes, which widened so much they almost hurt. He didn’t so much as breathe as he tried to process the scene before him, as he tried to figure out if he was dreaming or if this was truly reality.

Before he even finished guiding him, a shadow – his shadow – jumped to Jihoon’s hand.

He’d _never_ heard of anyone, not even the strongest witches, succeeding on the first try.

“Jihoon…” he breathed. “Open your eyes…”

Almost as though he were directly copying Jeonghan’s reaction, Jihoon’s breath caught in his throat as his body stiffened. With wide, disbelieving eyes, Jihoon brought his arm up in front of his face, staring at the shadow snaking up towards his elbow.

“I… I did that?” Asked Jihoon quietly, as though he was worried he’d scare the shadow away.

“Yes,” whispered Jeonghan, walking forward and tenderly taking Jihoon’s hand in his. And when the shadow curled around his wrist too, linking their arms together, he couldn’t help but smile. “You did that, my little culver.”

Jihoon gave a small, breathy laugh, the sheer excitement brightening every feature on his face. A massive grin lifted the corners of his lips as he laughed in sheer mirth. He was all but jumping up and down like an energetic child.

He couldn’t help it.

A part of him still couldn’t believe he’d done it.

“I didn’t think I’d really be able to do it,” confessed Jihoon, still staring at the way the shadow curled and twisted between his and Jeonghan’s arms.

“I don’t think anyone’s done it on the first try before.”

“Really?” Asked Jihoon, his head snapping up to look at Jeonghan.

“Mhm,” nodded Jeonghan, smiling widely at Jihoon. “You may be the very first Jihoon.”

“Wow,” was all Jihoon could reply. He was breathless, the sheer magnitude of emotion coursing through his body rendering him paralyzed.

There was pride.

There was elation.

But still, there was doubt.

And as though he could peer right into Jihoon’s heart, Jeonghan could sense that.

“I think I know why all this is happening to you,” he started, gently lifting Jihoon’s chin up with two of his fingers. “Why a faerie took such a strong liking to you, why she brought you to me, why magick comes so naturally to you.”

“Why?”

“Because you have a soft heart. Even after all you’ve read and heard, even after all that’s happened to you, that heart hasn’t changed. You’re not naïve, just… truly good. You do things because you believe them to be right, even if that means doing the more difficult or inconvenient thing. I wouldn’t have taught you so much if I didn’t think so. People like you, my culver, are extremely rare. I told you this before and I’ll tell you again: if there’s anyone who deserves to wield this power, it’s you.”

There was so much more Jeonghan wanted to say, so much more sitting right there on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped himself before they left his lips.

To say that meant cutting down the maze of thorns he had built around his ribs.

Despite everything, that was still too scary a prospect.

Besides, he felt Jihoon’s hand trembling in his, and concern diluted anything and everything else he had been feeling.

“Culver?” He asked, his heart twitching in his chest when he saw the tears building up in Jihoon’s eyes.

“I’m fine,” laughed Jihoon, wiping his cheeks free from the few droplets that had fallen onto them. “It’s all just so overwhelming. But in a good way. Thank you Jeonghan, for everything.”

Jeonghan chuckled back, using the back of his fingers to catch the few tears Jihoon had missed before they reached his jaw.

He tried to ignore the kitten-like way Jihoon leaned into the touch. He told himself it was all a figment of his imagination.

“You don’t have to thank me, my lo- my culver.”

If Jihoon had heard the slip of the tongue, he certainly didn’t acknowledge it. He simply brought his attention back to the shadow curled around their hands, cocking his head at it with a sheepish smile.

“I’m not quite sure how to put it back,” he mumbled, looking back at Jeonghan with a grin.

Jeonghan laughed again, and it was that same laugh that had left his lips all those weeks ago in the library – that sound that was so uniquely his own.

“You do exactly what you did before,” he explained. “All that differs is your intent.”

All it took was a few seconds of concentration before the shadow leaped back down to the floor, extending out from Jeonghan’s feet. And though there was nothing linking them together anymore, when Jeonghan lowered his hand down to his side, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of Jihoon’s.

“It was easier this time,” said Jihoon, beaming up at Jeonghan.

“It usually is,” smiled the witch. “And every time you try, it’ll get easier and easier until you don’t even have to think about it anymore. But for now, how does getting some food sound? You’ve worked hard and need something to replenish your energy. After that we can come back and you can practice some more.”

“Alright,” nodded Jihoon. “Let’s go.”

Only then did Jeonghan let go of Jihoon’s hand, leading the way back to the hidden entrance without another word. But despite the screaming voice in his head, he couldn’t stop himself from turning back to Jihoon, fondness painted all over his face.

“I’m really proud of you, culver.”

And though his cheeks were already sore, Jihoon couldn’t keep the smile from his lips for hours to come.

☽

It had been weeks, and Jeonghan hadn’t heard from Jihoon so much as once. He told himself over and over again that it was nothing worth worrying about, that he was just busy, that he was overthinking things. But nothing he said stopped the voice that didn’t stop whispering in the back of his mind.

_Though he was certain he had fallen asleep in his own bed the previous night, Jihoon woke up somewhere else entirely. It looked like he was trapped in the darkest of storm clouds, only a deep, dark green breaking up the inky blackness._

_It was so cold, so dark, so unreal._

_And yet, Jihoon knew he wasn’t dreaming._

Jeonghan had played with the thought of going to Jihoon’s house, just to be sure he was alright. But each time the thought came to him, he dismissed it. He’d brought Jihoon enough trouble as it was. To go to his house meant bringing death to his door. And no matter what, he couldn’t do that.

_With trembling legs, Jihoon pushed himself up until he was standing. The darkness was infinite, unending. There was no way he was anywhere on Earth._

_Yet still, he_ knew _he wasn’t dreaming._

_He gulped, his hands coming to wrap around himself, as though it would do anything to shield him from the freezing cold._

_“Hello?” He called into the darkness._

A week passed. Two, three, a month, a month and half. Jihoon occupied Jeonghan’s thoughts almost every moment of every day, his concern tightening around his body more and more with every day that passed. He had no idea what to do, what would be the _appropriate_ thing to do.

He didn’t even know for sure that anything was wrong to begin with.

_All Jihoon got as a response was a laugh, one so deep and resonating it struck fear right into the deepest corners of his heart._

_“Stupid boy,” boomed a voice so loud it made Jihoon clamp his hands over his ears as he bent down, gritting his teeth in pain._

_“Who are you?” He cried._

_“What does that matter to you? By the time you wake up, that witch will_ finally _be dead. And soon after, you will be too.”_

_“Jeonghan…” breathed Jihoon, the fear creeping up his throat so thick he almost thought he was going to throw up._

_“Don’t even touch him! Leave him alone!” He screamed, but to no avail._

_The voice was no longer listening to him._

_He was completely, and utterly alone._

When Alcea _finally_ came to Jeonghan’s cottage, his worst fears were confirmed.

She wouldn’t stop head-butting him, but Jeonghan couldn’t figure out what she wanted. One thing was for sure, she was panicked. That’s how Jeonghan _knew_ that his anxiety hadn’t been the result of mere overthinking.

Something had happened to Jihoon; something even worse than last time.

“Alcea, _please_ ,” pleaded Jeonghan, his heart hammering in his ears. “I don’t know what you want. Help me understand.”

Alcea flew to one of the books lying on Jeonghan’s desk, circling around it over and over again until the witch walked over. With trembling hands, Jeonghan opened the book, flipping page after page until Alcea landed on one of them.

The second she led him to _that_ particular book, Jeonghan knew what was coming. But that didn’t stop his breath from stopping in his throat. It didn’t stop his heart from falling down to his feet, shattering all over the floor.

“No,” he whispered, his voice shaking almost as much as his hands were. “No, no, no, _no_!”

The spirits had Jihoon.

He never wanted to get close to Jihoon. Not because he didn’t like the beekeeper, but for the exact opposite reason. The spirits had been chasing after Jeonghan for years, and the only reason they’d never been able to get to him was that he never had anything to lose. They never had anything to tempt him with to begin with.

But he let down his guard, and let Jihoon in.

All because of a fleeting moment of vulnerability, Jihoon caught in their grasp.

He was completely at their mercy.

And those spirits, they had none.

Frantically, Jeonghan scooped Alcea into his hands. Tears were streaming down his face, but his gaze was hard and cold.

“Alcea,” he started, fighting the tremor in his voice. “If you know where they’re taking him I need you to lead me there right now. _Please_ , Alcea.”

Though Alcea’s pace was unforgiving, Jeonghan didn’t stop or slow down, not even once. His legs felt like they would give out underneath him at any moment, and it didn’t take long for every lungful of cold air to burn his throat, but he refused to stop.

Regret was all he could think of.

He should have uttered the words he’d chosen to bite back every time they settled on the tip of his tongue. He shouldn’t have let fear control his life for so long. He should have kept Jihoon closer to him, maybe he’d have been able to protect him if he did.

It almost made Jeonghan laugh.

He’d always let Jihoon leave his home so easily, even when a part of him knew it was a bad idea.

Yet here he was, all but flying to try and reach him before it was too late.

By the time Alcea stopped, his head was spinning. In a desperate attempt to catch his breath before he lost consciousness altogether, he bent over with his hands on his knees, coughing and spluttering at the ground. Alcea sat on his shoulder as he closed his eyes, trying to suck as much air into his lungs as he could after depriving himself of it for longer than any person should.

With his breathing back under control, he looked around the dark and damp space Alcea had led him to. It seemed to be a cavern, a gaping hole at the foot of a mountain. The darkness was eternity here, almost overwhelming in its magnitude. It was like an invisible force, trying to crush Jeonghan’s ribs and squeeze the life out of him.

That was how he knew he was in the right place.

But Jihoon was still nowhere to be seen.

“Jihoon?” Whispered Jeonghan, taking a few steps forward. He flinched as the echo of his footsteps reverberated across the walls of the cavern, breaking the suffocating silence.

With tentative steps, he walked further into the cavern, through a dark tunnel with a faint, dark green glow. The minute he was in that tunnel, a boom echoed around the cavern, making Jeonghan crouch down instinctively.

The opening he _just_ walked through was sealed. It was only a boulder, and with the amount of shadows all over the cavern he could easily break it. But he didn’t have time for that.

Until he found Jihoon, he was trapped.

All he could do was continue walking closer and closer to the green glow, his shallow breaths echoing in his own ears. He barely blinked, every single one of his senses wide awake and looking for _any_ other movement, any other sound other than that of his own feet.

He didn’t realize how horrifying it would be when he actually got what he wanted.

Jeonghan spun around the second he heard footsteps behind him. In a moment of naivety, he believed it was Jihoon, and his heart, if only for a moment, felt lighter than air.

But when an emerald blade came flying towards his face so fast he barely had time to block the blow before it cut him in half, his heart sunk back down to the floor.

Tens of witches surrounded him in the blink of an eye, all wielding the same emerald weapons. He barely had time to react before more blows came his way, the few he couldn’t shield himself against slicing into the skin of his arm and leg.

It was then that Jeonghan understood that the spirits never killed benevolent witches. Instead, they turned them into the thing they hated most. They filled them with the same cruelty and rage that filled the entire kingdom. Their souls were stripped from them – Jeonghan could tell just by looking at their eyes – and hate was the only thing that took their place.

It was a fate worse than death.

Jeonghan could barely keep up with the blows coming his way. Minute by minute, the circle was growing tighter around him, and his mind was racing as he tried to figure out how to get himself out, where to go, what to do.

But just before a scream of frustration threatened to rip through his throat, Jeonghan saw Jihoon through the gaps in the tightening circle of lost witches.

And something was very wrong.

He had a faraway look in his eyes, like he didn’t know where he was or what he was walking towards. His steps were slow and sluggish, almost as though he were sleepwalking.

“He _is_ sleepwalking,” breathed Jeonghan.

Calling on every drop of power in his veins, even though he felt his magick burn beneath his skin, Jeonghan grit his teeth and fired shadow after shadow at the witches. It didn’t do much more than buy him time, but until he could wake Jihoon up, that was enough.

“Jihoon!” He cried, feeling as though the layers of his throat were peeling off one by one. “You need to listen to me Ji–”

_“ –hoon wake up!”_

_Everything had been deadly silent one second, and then next, Jeonghan’s faraway voice was filling the dark and empty space around him. Jihoon looked around himself, his eyes wide and movements frantic as he searched desperately for the witch._

_“Jeonghan!” He screamed into the darkness. “Where are you?”_

_“Jihoon please just_ wake up _!”_

_Jeonghan’s voice was getting closer and closer. It was like his words cut through the darkness, making it thinner and far less all-encompassing._

_Jihoon broke into a sprint, running in the direction he_ thought _Jeonghan’s voice was coming from. But he barely took two steps before But he barely took two steps before whatever ground his feet were pounding against disappeared._

_He didn’t even have time to scream –_

– but when he landed, he realized he never fell in the first place. He staggered back, blinking wildly as he tried to reorient himself.

There was chaos around him. The clanging of swords filled the air, echoing off the walls until the sound they made didn’t seem real anymore. Shadows were darting all over the place, almost too fast to see.

None of it made sense. Not until he caught a glimpse of Jeonghan’s face glancing at him over his shoulder, his expression caught somewhere between relief and agony.

“Jeonghan!” He yelled, summoning a shadow to his grasp as he charged forward. But just as soon as he started, something coiled around his arm, yanking him back with unnatural strength.

The wall behind him was glowing with the same dark green he saw in his prison. As though it were liquid, the rock parted, the rumbling sound so loud it hurt. Beyond the rock, Jihoon saw storm clouds of green energy filling the room, simply waiting until he was pulled towards them.

The tendrils wrapping around Jihoon like spider’s silk looked almost like shadows, but he could tell this was nothing he could even begin to control.

They wrapped around his arms, his legs, his torso, and all pulled with the same paranormal strength.

Horror filled Jeonghan’s chest when he saw the spirits start to pull Jihoon into their grasp. But though he was moving at his fastest, at his strongest, he couldn’t get through their army of lost witches.

He was desperate, yet he could do nothing.

Jihoon took a deep, long breath. Despite the way his body was overrun with fear, he tried to steady his mind. He closed his eyes, and almost immediately felt the presence of every shadow around him. They all seemed so reluctant, like they too feared the power Jihoon was asking them to face.

_‘Please,’_ he thought. _‘I’m scared of them too. But I can’t watch Jeonghan die and I can’t stop them without you. Please, please help me.’_

His head throbbed harder than it ever had before.

He felt a few of his ribs crack.

It was like his own life-force was mixing with the magick he was calling on, but he didn’t care.

Jihoon opened his eyes, and stared at the storm clouds in front of him.

And with one last breath, he let go of the energy built up inside him.

Everything happened all too fast. A shadow was torn out of Jeonghan’s grasp, and as though it had a mind of its own, ripped through the sternums of the lost witches that had come so close to impaling him on one of their blades.

He heard Jihoon scream, but before he run to him, everything exploded.

Moving faster than he knew he could, Jeonghan held Alcea close to his chest, shielding her from the wreckage with his hands, and ran to crouch behind the part of the boulder that protruded from the tunnel’s opening.

There was one thing he knew for sure.

Jihoon had managed to control the overwhelming mass of shadows in the cavern.

He managed to turn them on the spirits.

And Jeonghan could only hope the exertion wouldn’t drain the energy from his body.

Just as soon as the explosion started, it was over. Save for the sound of dust settling and small rocks falling to the ground, the cavern was silent again, as though nothing had ever happened. Peering over the boulder, Jeonghan found the wall had closed up again.

He should have been happy. But fear overwhelmed him when he saw Jihoon crumpled on the ground.

“No!” Screamed Jeonghan. He barely felt himself moving until he was kneeling down by Jihoon’s side.

“Jihoon…” he whispered, tears falling past his eyelashes as he stared down at the line of blood falling from the corner of Jihoon’s lips.

He pulled the beekeeper’s torso onto his lap as a sob ripped through his chest. Nothing he’d ever felt before hurt as much as this did. It felt like each and every cell in his body was being ripped apart one by one.

It was a horrible pain. One that Alcea’s nuzzling against his neck couldn’t soothe. One that made him wish death would take him.

“Please wake up Jihoonie,” he sobbed, combing through Jihoon’s hair with his fingers.

And though it was the only thing his heart was crying out for, he still almost choked in surprise when Jihoon groaned, his brow furrowing as he gave a few weak coughs.

“Jeonghan?” He whispered, his eyes sleepy and heavy.

Jeonghan sobbed only once more as he wiped the tears from his cheeks and smiled down at Jihoon. He wiped the blood off the side of the beekeeper’s mouth with his sleeve, the trembling of his hand giving away the fact that his whole body was shaking.

“It’s me,” replied Jeonghan, still combing his fingers through Jihoon’s hair.

“I’m not dead, am I?”

Jeonghan laughed, a few more tears running down his face.

“Jihoon if you’re dead, then so am I.”

“Not necessarily,” shrugged Jihoon. “You could be an angel.”

“Do I look like an angel to you Jihoon?” Laughed Jeonghan, poking Jihoon’s cheek.

“Yes.”

Jihoon’s reply made Jeonghan still for a moment. He stared down at Jihoon, sliding his hand down until his thumb was resting on his cheekbone.

“If I’m dead,” whispered Jihoon, breaking the momentary silence. “Anything I say doesn’t matter, right?”

“I suppose so,” replied Jeonghan with a frown, his voice small.

“Then I suppose it’s alright for me to say that I really want to kiss you right now.”

Jeonghan smiled, beaming down at Jihoon before bending down over him. He ran his thumb over Jihoon’s cheekbone before placing a small, delicate kiss on the corner of his lips. Before he could start to pull away, however, Jihoon surged upwards, pulling Jeonghan down for another, longer kiss.

And despite the taste of blood, Jeonghan had never felt as light or as euphoric as he did when Jihoon’s lips were on his.

“I love you,” he whispered, mumbling against Jihoon’s lips. “I should’ve told you that sooner.”

Before he could say more, Jihoon silenced him with a gentle peck. When he settled back down on Jeonghan’s lap, he was beaming up at the witch’s surprised expression.

“I love you too.”

Alcea floated down from Jeonghan’s neck and behind Jihoon’s ear, where she nuzzled roughly against his skin.

“She was so worried about you,” whispered Jeonghan, smiling fondly at the bumblebee for a moment before his features were overrun with fear. “We thought… we thought you were gone. It was terrifying.”

Jihoon stared up at Jeonghan, bringing his own hand up to the witch’s and intertwining their fingers.

“I’m never leaving you. Either of you. I promise.”

Jeonghan gave Jihoon a small smile, bending down to place a feather-light kiss on his forehead. Fear still coursed through his veins, and probably would for many months to come, but he still felt warm. Jihoon was alright. He was breathing, his heart was beating, and he was smiling.

It was all alright.

“Let’s go home, my love,” he whispered, tenderly helping Jihoon up into a seated position. He was surprised when the beekeeper wrapped his arms around his stomach, leaning his head against his chest and closing his eyes for a moment.

“Let’s go home,” he echoed, his voice showing only a fraction of the contentment he felt.

And Jeonghan just couldn’t help but kiss him again.

☽

Jeonghan had nightmares. He always got them, but they became worse after he saw Jihoon look so lifeless he was certain he was dead. They weren’t too frequent, so Jeonghan supposed it _could_ be worse, but they were horrible, often rendering his paralyzed with fear as his mind ran far too quickly.

It was the price to pay for love.

And besides, every time he woke up with a gasp, his body drenched with sweat and breathing frantic, Jihoon was right there by his side.

“I have an idea,” started Jihoon on one particular dawn. His head was tucked into the crook of Jeonghan’s neck after the witch had woken up from another particularly jarring dream. They had been watching the cottage be steadily filled with more and more light as the sun rose over the entire kingdom. They barely exchanged a word until Jihoon broke the silence, but they had both found it was the best way to soothe Jeonghan’s racing mind.

Oftentimes, just being in each others’ arms was enough.

“What is it?” Asked Jeonghan, his voice a little hoarse.

“Instead of walking all the way to my house each time we want to check on the bees, what do you say we move their hives here instead?” Suggested Jihoon. “There has to be some way we can do it. Alcea could even help us.”

Jeonghan hummed happily as he pictured Jihoon’s suggestion.

“We could use the honey for spells and potions and teas…” he mused, closing his eyes and letting a smile lift the corners of his mouth.

“And we could bake too.”

With a laugh, Jeonghan leaned back to look down at Jihoon, whose eyes were shining with joy and excitement.

“But I don’t know how to bake, my culver,” smiled Jeonghan, the fond look in his face seeping into his tone.

“Neither do I,” shrugged Jihoon. “But we can learn.”

Chuckling, Jeonghan leaned forward and kissed Jihoon so deeply the beekeeper sighed into it, his fingers curling into the fabric of Jeonghan’s shirt.

“Are you sure you’re alright with that idea?” Asked Jeonghan after they broke apart. “You don’t miss your home at all?”

“No,” replied Jihoon, tucking his head back into the crook of Jeonghan’s neck and letting the witch pull him in even closer. “Besides, a long time ago, I discovered something.”

“And what is that, my love?”

“As long as I’m with you, I’m home.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading! Kudos and comments are always very much appreciated!
> 
> If you’d like to find me elsewhere, my twitter is: ghiblisbox ♡


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